Cheese stirrer



March 3, 1953 c. F. KRUCKER' 2,630,303

CHEESE STIRRER Filed Dec. 5, 1949 2 SHEETSSHEET 1 I N VEN TOR.

| j 2 I Char/e; F Arucker March 3, 1953 c. F. KRUCKER 2,630,303

CHEESE STIRRER Filed Dec. 5, 1949 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 INVENTOR. C/zar/e; F/(md er Patented Mar. 3, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT F FICE" CHEESE- STIRRER- (Binaries F; Ki ucker, Darlington ,-.Wis;-

Applicationflecemher 5, 1949} Seriaf No. IZI,I45

Claims; 1

The present invention relates to" apparatus for stirring cheese during the course of its production and is concerned primarily with a new type of installation which is now meeting withpuhl'ic acceptance.

During recent times there has come into use a type of apparatus for stirring cheese which consists essentially of an overhead structure that is supported from the ceiling of a room" orbui'l'ding and which includes a plurality of electric motors. Positioned beneath these electric motors are a plurality of kettles which receive the material which ultimately is processed into the cheese. A paddle is associated with each kettle and this paddle is driven from an" electric motor there'- above; 3

An important objectoi the present inventionis to provide, in apparatus oi the character described, a shaft which is driven from one or the electric motors together with a" shaft that is permanently secured to one of the paddles and a quickly detacha-hie driving connectionbetween thetwoshafts- More in detail, the invention has asanobject the provisionof an arrangement inwhicri avertical stub shaft is driven from one or the: electric motorsthr ougn appropriate reduction gearing. This stulo shaft carries:- certainelements or a quickly detachable drivin connection. Upstanding from one of the: paddles is a shaft, the upper free end of which is provided: with complemental elements of the: detachable connection. Thus, the" paddle may quickly be: connected to the motor driven shaft in drivingv relation with respect thereto or quickly detached therefrom.

Still another object of the invention is to-provide,. in apparatus of the character indicated, a detachable driving connection between a motordriven shaft and a paddle shaft and which connection is of the bayonet joint type. Two pairs of pins are arranged in spaced relation on the motor-driven shaft. A sleeve that is open at one side is connected to the upper end of the paddle shaft and is formed with bayonet slots which are adapted to receive said pins to establish a quickly detachable driving connection: between the motor-driven shaft and the paddle shaft.

Various other more detailed objects and advantages of the invention. such as arise in connection with carrying out the above noted ideas in a practical embodiment will-, in part become apparent. and in part be hereinafter stated as the: description of the invention proceeds.

The: invention therefore comprises a cheese stirrer which consists essentially of anoverhead structure including electric motors iromeach of 2 H which depends a motor-driven shaftL- Beneath this'loverl'iead structure therei-s a plurality of kettles with each kettle having a paddle Witha shaft upstanding therefrom. Each paddle shaft is connected to amotor-driven shaft; quickly detachable connection of the Bayonet; joint type.

For afull and more com lete understandin of the invention, reference" may; to the following descriptionand accompanying: drawings wherein:

Figure- 1 is" a detailed view mostly in elevation but with partsbrokenaway and: shown in sec"- t ion: of one ofi the: paddles; the shaft upstanding therefrom,.. and the elements 'of the quickly detachable connection between the shaitandthe motor-drivenshafh Figure: 2 is a perspective developing the several elements of the detachable connection exploded relation.-

Figure 3 is an elevational view, somewhat diagrammatic, depicting the nature ofthe complete installation; and

Figure 4 is a detailed View in elevationtaken on a vertical plane normal to the showing: of" Figure 3.

Referring now to the" drawings wherein like reference characters denote corre'spondingparts, and first more particularly to Figure 3, a; cheese stirring apparatus oi the type. "th which this invention is concerned is thereinillustrated and comprising a pair ofh'angers l'fl' and IT, each of whichcarries atits upper end. a flange 12" which is adapted to be secured to a ceiling of" a room or structure in which the hangers are located. These hangers I 0 andffl are: of a tubular construction.

At the lower end of 'each of the hangers ro and N there is a fitting l3 and extending between the fitting I3 there is" a; horizontaltubular supporting. member 14. Mounted along the support It at appropriate intervals are a plurality of electric motors, each of which is designated M. Associated with each motor M' is a ie'arreducti 'orrunit U. r

The motors and the gear reduction units U are of" a weir known character and are available on the n'iarke't as such. It deemed unnecessary to here illustrate these parts'other than by their diagrammatic representation; Extending through the tubular hangers 1'0 and II} and the horizontal support I 4 is the wiring; for the motors M which is represented at I51 Each motor may includea connection shown at f6" that terminates in a; lu H which may be employed to either plug the motor in to start operation or he pulled out to discontinue operation;

Carried by the support 14 at appropriate intervals are a plurality of fittings l8. Each of these fittings I8 carries the shank l9 of a hook 20. The hooks 20 support a pipe or conduit 2| through which milk or whey is adapted to be conducted to the kettles as will be later described.

Extending downwardly from each of the gear reduction units U in a vertical direction is a shaft 22 which is driven from the motor M through the gear reduction unit U and which is herein referred to as the motor-driven shaft.

Disposed beneath each of the motors M is a kettle K. These kettles will ordinarily rest on the floor of the room from the ceiling of which depends the overhead structure. Obviously. all kettles could be supported on tables or other appropriate supporting means. Each of the kettles K is adapted to receive a predetermined quantity of materials which are to be processed into cheese. The milk or whey may be conducted to each kettle K through the pipe 21 and the outlet 23 for each kettle K which is disposed thereabove and which is connected to the conduit 2| by the T-coupling shown at 24.

Received in each kettle K is a paddle P having a shape generally conforming to that of the kettle in which it is adapted to be rotated to cause the necessary agitation of the materials being processed. Upstanding from each paddle is a paddle shaft 25.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 2, each motor-driven shaft 22 is shown as carrying two pairs of pins 26 with the pins of each pair extending outwardly from the shaft 22 in diametrically opposite directions and with the two pairs spaced apart. Secured to the upper end of each paddle shaft 25 is a coupling member 27 that is interiorly threaded as indicated at 28. Screwed into the threaded bore 28 is a stub shaft 29 having a portion which projects above the coupling 21. A sleeve'30 has a lower end section which is interiorly threaded and screwed onto the projecting portion of the stub shaft 29. Above this lower end section the sleeve 30 is of a split or open U construction providing side walls 3| and 32 that are joined by a curve or bend 33. The side walls 3i and 32 are formed with two pairs of bayonet slots having a spacing corresponding to the spacing of the two pairs of pins 26 on the shaft 22.

Each of these bayonet slots includes a horizontal entrance leg 34 which communicates with a vertical leg 35; Each pin 26 is adapted to pass through the entrance leg 34 into the leg 35 and thence upwardly in the latter to become nested into the curved end thereof which is represented at 36.

During actual making and breaking of the connection it is the sleeve 30 which is 'moved rather than the shaft 22 and pins carried thereby, and the action of the pins above described is merely relative to the sleeve 30.

Under normal conditions, gravity action on the sleeve 30 will maintain the pins 26 seated in the curved upper ends 36.0f the vertical legs 35 of the bayonet slots; When occasion arises that it becomes necessary to break this driving connection all that is required is to raise the sleeve 30 upwardly until the pins 26 align with the horizontal legs 34. This sleeve may then be withdrawn from the motor-driven shaft 22.

Conversely when the connection is to be established this sleeve is applied by moving the horizontal entrance legs 34 over the pins 26 until the latter alignwith-thevertical legs 35. The sleeve file of this patent:

4 is then permitted to fall downwardly under gravity action to complete the driving connection.

While a preferred specific embodiment of the invention is hereinbefore set forth, it is to be clearly understood that the invention is not to be limited to the exact constructions, mechanisms, and devices illustrated and described because various modifications of these details may be provided in putting the invention into practice within the purview of the appended claims.

What isclaimed is: i

1. Cheese making apparatus comprising, in combination, a floor-supported kettle having a capacity to receive the predetermined quantity of the materials required to produce a wheel of cheese, a rotatable stirring implement comprising a stirring head adapted to be inserted into the kettle and an elongated shaft extending upwardly therefrom on the axis of the kettle, the lower edge of the stirring head being formed to .the contour of the kettle bottom, ceiling-supported driving means for said implement comprising a horizontal supporting member suspended from and disposed adjacent the ceiling, and a combined electric motor, enclosed reduction gear means and an axially fixed vertical stub-shaft unit supported on said horizontal member, said driving shaft being disposed on the axis of the kettle and terminating at its lower end a short distance below the bottom line of the motor, whereby to provide vertical clearance space above the upper line of the kettle for the implement head during its insertion into and removal from the kettle, and ccmplemental quickdetachable coupling means on the lower end of the driving shaft and on the upper end of the implement shaft for coupling said shafts together, said coupling means being engageable and disengageable by lowering and lifting movement, respectively, of the stirring implement with respectto the stub shaft and being further operative when engaged to transmit the weight of the implement to said unit and hence to said supporting member and to position the implement vertically so that its lower edge is in close proximity to the bottom of the kettle.

2. Cheese making apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein a milk supply pipe extends horizontally over the kettle and is detachably connected to the horizontal member and in close proximity thereto.

3. Cheese making apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the supporting member is tubular and the electrical supply conductors for the motor are carried by and completely enclosed within said tubular supporting member.

CHARLES F. KRUCKER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the UNITED STATES PATENTS Huth Feb. 8, 1938 

